Raspberry Ketone

It has always been touted that fruit is good for you. Blueberries have those precious antioxidants that help collect and control free radicals in the body that can otherwise create a toxic environment. Apples are a great source of vitamins and help keep the doctor away. Now evidence is pointing to raspberry ketones as a good source of nutrients, as well as a great fat burner.

How Does it Work

It is speculated that raspberry ketones work by regulating adiponectin, a fat-moderating hormone naturally found within the body. When raspberry ketone is introduced to a system, it is believed to help stimulate the production of adiponectin, which in turn helps moderate the absorption of fat. Adiponectin actually convinces the body to act as if it is already fit, therefore releasing fat in the body that is unneeded. With a proper diet and exercise program, you may be able to shed those stored fats and start losing weight.

The FDA has deemed raspberry ketone as safe for use, and it has shown substantial evidence that the ketone does help some weight loss patients kickstart their fat moderation and absorption. There are several clinical studies which have shown significant evidence that raspberry ketones may in fact help you lose weight, and even showed some evidence that the hormone regulated by the ketone may actually control the size of fat cells and work to improve obesity states.

What Does This Mean?

First of all, this supplement does not give you allowances to eat whatever fatty foods you like without suffering the consequences. It doesn't work like that. It can assist your body's hormonal system by increasing the production of adiponectin which in turns triggers the body to regulate, modify and release any fats already present or introduced to the body. It is not a magic cure-all, and doctors urge patients not to rely solely on this product for the weight loss. However, it may be able to help your weight loss program along with a more efficient fat regulation system.

Diet and exercise are always the best methods to losing weight. Physicians, trainers and the like agree that for a weight loss program to be successful, you have to change your diet and exercise program, which means healthier foods and more exercise. However, for some weight loss patients, diet and exercise alone cannot help them reach their goals and a natural weight loss supplement, like raspberry ketone, may be able to help. Again, it's not a magic cure-all, but it can supplement a healthy, balanced diet and exercise program.

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How to Lose Weight After Having a Baby

It's never easy to lose weight, and new mothers in particular may find that they struggle with finding time and energy to realize their weight loss goals. Fortunately, with the right diet and exercise program, new moms can find a great way to lose the weight and bond with their child.

Include Your Newborn in Your Exercises

There are a few ways new moms can help speed up weight loss. Instead of sticking your newborn with a babysitter or in day care while you go to the gym, why not find a park to walk or jog in with your newborn? Many manufacturers make durable strollers built just for those moms who like to go for a jog with their newborn. This gives both you and your child a chance to get some fresh air, and is a great way to sneak in a workout without losing precious time with your child.

There are also other ways to build up muscles and burn some calories by using your child as a free weight. You can modify squats, lunges, biceps curls and several other exercises to help you lose weight, build muscle tone and bond with your child, as you use their weight as your free weight. There are plenty of parenting sites on the internet they can demonstrate using your child as weight. But if you are not comfortable with that, you can use other household items, like full gallon jugs as weights.

Local Organizations

Many local recreational organizations offer Mommy and Me classes, where new moms can join a group of other new mothers and work out with their children. From yoga to swimming, these organizations will have a class that works for you and can help you get in shape too.

New Moms Working Together

Check out your neighborhood for other new moms with whom you can exercise. First, it will help you maintain your weight loss goals, by having support in a fellow mother, but you can also start exercise dates, where you, your child and your friends can exercise and socialize.

Organize play dates with other moms so you can get out and play with your newborn.

It is always best to start with a healthy, balanced diet and exercise program to lose weight, but breastfeeding mothers may find that their weight loss is slow at first, because of the needed calories for milk production. However, this does not mean a breastfeeding mother should not try to lose weight. Always speak to your doctor before beginning any new diet and exercise program, particularly if you are going to add a natural weight loss supplement to your diet. For breastfeeding mothers, discuss the effects a natural weight loss supplement may have not only on your body but on your child's. Many drugs will appear in breast milk, so if you are considering adding a natural weight loss supplement to your weight loss diet and you are breastfeeding, it is best to choose a natural supplement and to speak with your doctor first, to ensure that the supplement is indeed healthy for you and baby.

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The Number One Weight Loss Factor

There are thousands of reasons people struggle to lose weight, but at our personal training studio in Chiswick, one reason stands head and shoulders above all others. I'm talking about blood sugar and insulin resistance.

Although most people know that blood sugar and insulin plays a part, how many of us really know what blood sugars role in causing weight gain really is. Why does blood sugar becomes too high, why does it get too low, why is this important and crucially, how we can regulate it. This an extremely complex and vast topic but I'm going to simplify the subject as much as possible.

BLOOD SUGAR EXPLAINED

Whenever we consume any form of starch or sugar carbohydrate, this becomes available as blood sugar, otherwise known as blood glucose, in the bloodstream. How quickly it converts to blood glucose depends on the glycemic index of the carbohydrate. Glucose itself would have a profile of 100 which means it is all instantly available as blood sugar whilst lentils can have profile of as little as 21 which means the carbohydrate becomes available as sugar more slowly.

When our body detects blood sugar, it releases a hormone from the pancreas called insulin. This increased level of insulin in the bloodstream enables energy from glucose to become available to the muscle and liver cells as energy; see insulin as a key that unlocks the cells to allow the glucose in.

So, if a person who naturally releases too much insulin, eats a high glycemic food like pasta, they will have an oversupply of the hormone. If this same person were to eat a low glycemic carbohydrate like lentils, they would have a much better chance of releasing the sugar more evenly into the blood stream as the insulin released would be lower.

It is important to note that Muscles and the liver only need enough glucose to replenish the stores, and liver stores glucose as glycogen which it makes available in times of crisis. An over production of insulin makes all the glucose instantly available but the muscles and liver cells will only take what they need.

Fat cells, on the other hand, are eager recipients of any blood sugar made available to them by excess insulin, consume the remainder up and thus expand. Fat cells are essentially our emergency stores of energy, for when we run out of food, but only once all the glycogen stores are gone from the liver. As you will see, that's unlikely to happen when we continue to eat refined carbohydrates.

Now, the real problem that has been caused by eating a high glycemic carbohydrate becomes evident. The energy from the pasta has now been utilized by the greedy fat cells, so your blood sugar has dropped too low, the insulin spike caused all of the sugar to become available at once and there is none left.

Your liver is stubborn and doesn't like giving up its stores unless it has to, but we need energy on a constant basis, even while sleeping, and as we discussed your fat cells are not giving up a bean of energy until all the glycogen is gone from your liver.

So your body is faced with a dilemma, it needs some more sugar urgently but the liver is unwilling to release any and the fat cells won't be releasing any until the liver is depleted of glycogen stores. The message is sent to your brain loud and clear. You are hungry. EAT! But you only just ate, how can it be possible that you're hungry again.

Not only has the pasta potentially increased the size of your fat cells, it hasn't even sorted out your hunger levels, because the glucose is no longer available to the muscle cells and liver which need a slow but constant supply. The fat cells had all the glucose and because you're hungry you eat a source of carbohydrates which relieves the hunger quickest. A starchy or sugary carbohydrate. It's a catch 22 in the very truest sense.

This internal message to raise the blood sugar is so overwhelming that seldom will we manage to overcome the craving.

WHAT CAN YOU DO ABOUT IT?

Some people release less insulin naturally and so can tolerate higher glycemic foods, meaning a larger consumption of carbohydrates is not such a problem, in others it can have catastrophic effects on their body composition.

Everybody suggests working on the glycemic index, which is great for some people, but for others the fat cells have grown to such a point where the insulin keys no longer fit the cells to receive the sugar, which is essentially type 2 diabetes.

The ultimate goal is to not have any fluctuation in blood sugar at all.
Think about this for a second. We do all need carbohydrates if only for brain function, anybody who tells you otherwise is probably trying to sell you something. Fortunately, we know that carbohydrates come in 3 forms.

1. Sugar - which we need to avoid at all costs.
2. Starch - Although it varies on the GI scale, ultimately becomes glucose which will cause some insulin release and therefore blood sugar variations
3. Fibre - Which has no impact on blood sugar whatsoever.

What I believe to be the most effective strategy in those with significant blood sugar related weight issues and certainly in type 2 diabetics, is a diet which is very high in fibrous, low starch vegetables. I will often suggest carbohydrates come almost exclusively in the form of green cruciferous vegetables in the early phases of a dietary regime.

Of course, if you are going to take this approach you will also need to consider your intake of good quality fats as an alternative fuel source, but that's a whole new conversation.

In taking a less extreme path towards long term blood sugar balance for those with less pressing blood sugar issues, we can implement a simple intelligent carbohydrate 'swapping' strategy.

Eat only whole natural carbohydrate sources like sweet potato, brown rice, quinoa and lentils in place of white rice, ALL bread and pasta.

Eat fruit as a carbohydrate with some natural Greek yogurt instead of desserts like chocolates and ice creams.

If you really do struggle with complete elimination of refined sugars from your diet then the only instance when eating foods high on the glycemic index could be considered a good idea is post exercise, where the spike in insulin can be beneficial as your muscle cells are more agreeable to receiving the available blood sugar to replenish and repair.

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